Hwa Chong overcome wardrobe malfunction and Millennia Institute to qualify for A Division Boys Basketball semi-finals

Story by reader Erwin Wong. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports.

Singapore Basketball Centre, Friday, May 8, 2009 - The Hwa Chong Institution A Division Boys’ Basketball team arrived at the Singapore Basketball Centre today looking to seal their place in the semi-finals with a win against Millennia Institute. They weren't, however, dressed for the occasion.

"I was the one who told the team to bring our white jerseys, instead of the red ones." Said captain Chester Leow sheepishly. The quarter-final match was delayed for about 15 minutes as the correct set of outfits were being rushed over, and the HCI team was punished with 50 push-ups by teacher-in-charge Mr Michael Wong after the game, for their wardrobe malfunction woes.

The game itself was a more straightforward affair. HCI, with a win and loss under their belt, would qualify for the final 4 if they beat MI, who had lost both their matches so far. And the defending champions set out their stall right from the start, scoring 9 straight points to overcome an early 4-0 run by MI. They were bossing the offensive boards as Hong Hock Seng had second chance points on consecutive occasions, and Point Guard Chiam Hong Yao's wing trey handed HCI a 14-6 lead, on their way to a 16-8 edge after the first period.

His team continued to dominate proceedings, but MI kept themselves in the game as Yang Chen Yin made a nifty spinning layup to reduce the deficit to 6 points midway through the second quarter. But that would be as close as they would get to Hwa Chong as the latter turned it up with an astonishing third period display.

Entering the quarter with a 27-19 lead, HCI went on an amazing 22-0 run spanning more than 7 and a half minutes, till MI finally managed a shot attempt. Their full-court press worked to a T as they forced turnover upon turnover, and literally scored at will against the hapless MI defence. They brought the old adage of ´Defence is the best form of attack' to an entirely new platform as they pressured their opponents into giving up the ball and allowing a basket, and then repeating the same sequence of events countless times over. Chen Yin finally scored on his team's first shot of the quarter with a running jumper at the 2:28 mark, but the game was already far beyond them at this point.

HCI did not let up, and Tan Ee Ruey drained a 3 pointer to bring the score to 52-21. After MI's Chua Min Xuan scored, Hwa Chong rang in 5 more unanswered points to bring the curtain down on a 30-4 third quarter score line which saw tenacious team defence from Hwa Chong, bordering on perfection even.

MI's captain Png Wee Yang explained that his team was not experienced enough to deal with Hwa Chong's relentless pressure defence, while opposite number Chester Leow put it down to his team having warmed up sufficiently in the first half to get their defensive play going in the second.

The HCI juggernaut carried on where it left off, as there was little respite for the Millennia team. Hong Yao was at the heart of every Hwa Chong offensive play, and scored 7 points in his team's 10-0 run to begin the final period, handing HCI their largest lead of the game at 67-23. To MI's credit, instead of completely rolling over, they embarked on their own 11-0 run as Hwa Chong began to slack off their earlier good work on the defensive boards. Su Junming, Chen Yin and Jason Chou all scored in the rally, but HCI saw out the remainder of the game and won the match 73-36.

"Our game plan was to stop their fast-break because they can be very quick. We also planned to stop Hong Yao's first pass." Said Wee Yang after the blowout. Still, there were lessons to take home after his team's first ever appearance in the quarter-final stage. "We have learnt to never give up, and that every team has a chance to get to the top."

HCI has already got there, but in order to maintain status quo as A Divison boys champions, they first have to navigate through a Raffles Institution team in the semi-finals. "We need to have more communication. It keeps the game going." Said Chester. "We also have to work harder in defence."

HCI lineup:
#4 Jonathan Lian
#5 Subhas Nair
#6 Nicholas Tan
#7 Zhou Kai
#8 Goh Wei Leong
#9 Chiam Hong Yao
#10 Loh Hong Sheng
#11 Chester Leow
#12 Tan Ee Ruey
#13 Yap Ching Poh
#14 Hong Hock Seng
#15 Edward Ng

MI lineup:
#4 Yeoh Chong Yew
#5 Benjamin Lee
#6 Bernard Chan
#7 Muthukumar
#8 Chua Min Xuan
#9 Ernest Yeo
#10 Png Wee Yang
#11 Jason Chou
#12 Jackie Lim
#13 Yang Chen Yin
#14 Majumdar Ketav
#15 Su Junming

Scoring breakdown by quarter:
MI v HCI
1st Q: 8-16
2nd Q: 11-11
3rd Q: 4-30
4th Q: 13-16
Final score: 36-73

Leading scorers:
Chiam Hong Yao (HCI) 17 points
Yap Ching Poh (HCI) 15 points
Su Junming (MI) 14 points
Yang Chen Yin (MI) 10 points